Lesson Date: September 18, 2011

Focal Scripture Passage: Acts 17:1-34

AIM: To lead adults to contrast man-centered philosophy with genuine Christianity, and to encourage any who have never repented of their sins and trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to do so.

 

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Before class: Become familiar with the places named in this lesson so you can point them out on the map.  Write the words “Philosophy” and “Religion” on the marker board or chalkboard.

When class begins: Read the class a definition of philosophy (one may be found on page 69 of the Sunday School Teacher Book).  Ask the class to brainstorm and name any philosophies (or religions) they can.  After naming several, ask the class to very briefly explain the beliefs of each philosophy or religion.

Tell the class that there are many philosophies (and many religions) in the world.  In today’s lesson they will learn about Paul’s encounter with some philosophers and decide whether Christianity is just one of many equally valid philosophies by which a person can live.

 

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1.     Review.

a.     Remind the class that the book of Acts tells about the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

b.     Remind them that we are currently studying the Apostle Paul’s Second Missionary Journey.

c.     Refer to the map and remind the class that after travelling all the way across Turkey, the missionaries sailed over to Greece.

d.     In last week’s lesson they were miraculously released from a jail in Philippi (locate on the map).

2.     Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica.

a.     Read Acts 17:1-4.

b.     Tell the class that Paul went to Thessalonica (locate on the map).

c.     He preached in the Jewish synagogue for three consecutive weeks, and many people were saved.

d.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 17:5-10.

e.     Ask: “What did the unbelieving Jews do?” (they gathered some lewd and evil men to start a riot in the city).

f.      Ask: “Why did they do this?” (they were envious of Paul’s popularity).

g.     They wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the angry and violent mob, but they could not find them.  Instead, they brought Paul’s host, Jason, out to the crowd and made him promise to send Paul away from Thessalonica.

h.     Ask: “Where did they send Paul?” (Berea – locate on the map).

3.     Paul’s Ministry in Berea.

a.     Read Acts 17:11-12.

b.     Ask: “How does the Bible describe the people of Berea?” (they were of a more noble character than the Thessalonians, they received the Word of God eagerly, and they studied daily to see if the things Paul and Silas told them about the Messiah were true).  This is a good testimony.

c.     Ask: “Are you eager to receive the Word of God?  Do you study the Bible daily?” 

d.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 17:13-15.

e.     Ask: “Who came and stirred up trouble in Berea?” (Jews from Thessalonica).

f.      Ask: “Where did the believers in Berea send Paul?” (Athens – locate on the map).

4.     Paul’s Ministry in Athens.

a.     Read Acts 17:16-21 to the class.

b.     Using the notes on these verses in the Sunday School Teacher Book, tell the class about Athens (especially see the notes on 17:15-16, 21), Epicureans and Stoics (see the definitions on pages 68 and 70, respectively), and the Areopagus (also known as Mars’ Hill – see the notes on 17:19).

5.     Paul’s Sermon on Mars’ Hill.

a.     Tell the class that Paul was in the midst of a crowd of people who thought themselves to be intellectuals.  Whenever Paul got an opportunity to address a crowd, he preached about Jesus Christ.

b.     Read Acts 17:22-31, which is Paul’s sermon.

c.     Ask: “What did Paul say about how religious (superstitious) the Athenians were?” (they were very religious).

d.     Ask: “What unusual altar did Paul find among all their pagan altars?” (an altar “to the unknown God”).

e.     Paul’s sermon may be summarized in the following points:

·       Jesus is the creator of your life (Acts 17:24).

·       Jesus is the sustainer of your life (Acts 17:25).

·       Jesus is the only One who can give you eternal life (Acts 17:28).

·       God commands you to repent of your sins (Acts 17:30).

·       God will one day judge the world, and He proved that fact by raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead (Acts 17:31).

6.     Applying Those Truths to Ourselves.

a.     Tell the class that the fact Jesus is the creator and sustainer of life tells us that we owe Him everything and He has a right to our worship.

b.     God is too big to live in man-made temples or statues, so all idolatry is wrong and worthless.

c.     God is sovereign over human history and orchestrates events to cause humans to seek Him (John 6:44).

d.     Regardless of the logic or believability of man-made philosophies and religions, Jesus Christ is the only source of eternal life (John 14:6).

e.     We are all commanded to repent of our sins and turn to Him.  His resurrection proves that God will one day judge the world.

f.      We may enjoy our sin for a time during this life, but judgment is certainly coming.

7.     Reaction to Paul’s Sermon.

a.     Read Acts 17:32-34.

b.     Ask: “What two types of reactions resulted from Paul’s sermon?” (some believed it but others made fun of it).

c.     Those are two common reactions to the preaching of the gospel, even today.

 

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Paul preached to people who held many different beliefs or philosophies.  Some who heard him believed that they were free to indulge in any fleshly pleasure, while others believed all such fleshly pleasures were wrong.  Ask the class to suggest ways Christianity differs from the philosophies held by the people of Athens.  Ask them to tell ways Christianity differs from some of the philosophies and religions they named during the introductory step of this lesson.

Tell the class that Christianity is not just another religion or philosophy.  Unlike other religions, genuine Christianity is not just a list of “dos” and “don’ts” to live by – it is a real, personal, and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Other philosophies and religions can make no eternal difference in a person’s life, but a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ does.

Remind the class that there are two ways any person can respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ – they can either accept it or reject it.  Ask: “If you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ to save you, will you repent of your sin and turn to Jesus for salvation right now?”  Lead a closing prayer of commitment.

 

CONCLUSION: Be sure everyone knows you are available to answer questions or offer spiritual help.  Tell them to listen to people around them this week to see if their conversation gives evidence of genuine Christianity or some sort of man-centered philosophy or religion.  Ask everyone to memorize Acts 17:30.  Ask them to read Acts 18 this week and do their lesson in the Sunday School Member Quarterly.